Rail-joint fastening.



'- no. 689,388. 4 Patented Dec. 24,1901..-

F. A. mxou.

RAIL JOINT FASTENING.

pplication fllud Apr. 4, 1901.)

(No Mdal.)

m WWW/Mmum WWW/5,945: v I A 24% v Hmw A 9mm m: mums mus aq. moro-mm'wasiuua-mn. u. 1:.

UNITED STATES ATENT FFICE.

FREDERICK A. DIXON, OF OTTAWA, CANADA.

RAIL-JOINT FASTENING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 689,388, dated December 24, 1901.

Application filed April 4, 1901.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK AUGUSTUS DIXON, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing in the city of Ottawa and Province of Ontario,Oanada,haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joint Fastenings; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention, which will be hereinafter fully set forth and claimed, relates to boltless railroad-rail joints. The object of my invention is a railroad-rail joint combining simplicity and rapidity of ad justment with great strength of support and permanency and to obtain cheapness and lightness without sacrifice of security by freedom from complicated details and from multiplicity of parts.

Figure 1 shows my improved rail-joint in cross-section. Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the same, showing the joint complete. Fig. 3 is a similar perspective view showing one rail and one joint-piece removed. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of the same on line 4 4,

Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a reverse view of the key, and Fig. 6 is a view of the tie-plate.

A A are the rail ends to be jointed, Figs. 1, 2, and 3.

B B are joint-pieces, each a counterpart of the other and serving the combined pur-. pose of fish-plates, chairs, and braces. The inner face of each joint-piece fits the rail snugly,its contact-surface extending from the under side of the head at the point 2 down the web and over and around the foot to the center of the same at the point 3. The crosssection of the two joint-pieces, together with the rail, form when in position a truncated pyramid having straight sides and a straight base. At the j oint-line 3 the thickness of both pieces is reduced to form a fillet b, and adjoining this a groove 17 is formed, the reduction being made from the top downward, and a distinct locking-shoulder b is thus produced within a recess 4 under the foot of the rail in both joint-pieces. This recess is adapted to receive a key 0, having a central groove 0, equivalent in width to the width of the two fillets b b and so adapted that the sides of the groove engage and hold the locking-shoulders Serial No. 54,334. (No model.)

6 b the outer edges of the-key being prefposition on the rail and the key 0 is driven in the recess 4, they are held firmly together. As the key is under the foot of the rail and not readily perceptible, the key may be formed with an indicator consisting ofatransverse finger 0, Figs. 2, 4, and 5, which is preferably bent up and will at any time indicate the actual position of the key. Near each rail end a slot a is formed in the rail-foot at each side, Figs. 3 and 4. The joint-pieces have corresponding lugs 19 to engage said slots and prevent'endwise separation of the rails, due allowance being made for expansion and contraction of the latter. The joint-pieces are placed on a tie-plate D, provided with spike-holes (Z, registeringnotches and countersinks if being formed in the joint-pieces to receive the spikes, securing them to the tie E. At one end of the tie-plate an upwardlyprojecting lug d is formed, against which the head of the key abuts.

It will be observed that apart from the tieplate, which is common to railway-joints, my improved joint consists of only three pieces and no bolts are required. After the rails have been placed in position end to end the two joint-pieces are brought in contact with the rails, the key inserted and driven in, the tie-plate placed under and the tie brought up, and the joint is complete after being spiked. To replace a rail, it is simply necessary to extract'the spikes, remove the tieplate, and Withdraw the key, which for this purpose is made a little longer than the jointpieces, when one or both of the joint-pieces 'may be removed, the rail removed, the new one placed in position, and the parts read j usted, as before.

I claim as my invention 1. In a key-rail-joint fastening, the combination with the rail ends of a pair of jointpieces counterparts of each other and in contact with the rails and having along their meeting edge a recess with locking-shoulders, a key fitting said recess and having a groove forming locking-shoulders, a device for the prevention of the separation of the rails lengthwise by slots in the rail-base near the rail ends and registering-lugs in the jointpieces, a device indicating the position of the key in the fastening and a device for preventing the working loose of the key, substantially as set forth.

2. In a key-rail-joint fastening, the combination with a pair of rail ends of two jointpieces in snug contact with the web and foot of the rail and forming with the latter a crosssection of pyramidal outline, a pair of locking-shoulders formed in a recess along the joint at the bottom and a grooved key with locking-shoulders fitting said recess and engaging the locking-shoulders of the jointpieces, substantially as set forth.

3. In a key-rail-joint fastening, the combination with the rails of a pair of joint-pieces counterparts of each other fitting the rail snugly on web and foot and having a fiat base with a joint in the center and a recess with locking shoulders along the edges of the joints, a grooved key entering said recess and engaging'sai'd shoulders, a slot near each rail end at each side in the foot and a registeringlug for each slot in the joint-pieces, substantially as set forth.

4. In a key-rail-joint fastening, the combination with the rails of a pair of joint-pieces counterparts of each other fitting the rail snugly on web and foot and having a flat base with a joint in the center below the rail-foot, a locking-shoulder formed by a groove in a recess along the joint in each joint-piece, and a grooved and tapered key entering said recess and engaging said locking-shoulders, substantially as set forth.

5. In a key-rail-joint fastening, the combination with the rails of a pair of joint-pieces counterparts of each other fitting the rails snugly on web and foot and having a flat base with a joint in the center below the rail-foot, the edges of said joint being recessed from above and formed with locking-shoulders, a grooved and tapered key fitting said recess and engaging the locking-shoulders, a tieplate supporting the joint-pieces and a lug on said tie-plate against which the head of the key abuts when the joint is locked, substantially as set forth. I

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. v

FREDERICK A. DIXON.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH PROULX, MICHAEL ONEIL. 

